Up To How Many Tiers Should I Transport Stacked Without A Central Dowel?

I would like to hear several opinions regarding how many tiers are you willing to transport for delivery without a central dowel?

My tiers are usually 5 inches high, ganached under the fondant, I glue my tiers with royal icing, use wooden dowels and sometimes I carry some of them unassembled and finish assembly at the venue but I don´t like this method so much because some venues don´t have air conditioning (and it´s quite hot here) which means a cake that is less cold and or condensation issues or staff going around in your way.

So far I have transported a stacked 3 tier without a central dowel but no more than that.

the biggest issue is the weight -- if you have nice strong reliable help to get more than two or three tiers in & out of your vehicle and though any and all obstacles on your way to the cake table -- stack it as high as you want -- but otherwise give yourself a break and adjust to stacking on site --

Thanks K8memphis, so if I have someone to help me carry the weight you don´t see a reason for me to freak out transporting a 4 or 5 tier already stacked with the tiers just glued with icing and no central dowel?

Sometimes I finish assembling at the venue but when I have to use more precise techniques like piping, painting, applying silver leaf with a bunch of staff running around I freak out a bit and some details around bottom edges of tiers you just can finish when the cake is stacked.

So you don´t think that a central dowel is mandatory for cakes with more than 3 tiers?

Thanks for the feedback K8memphis, I always deliver my cakes in boxes as well.

For instance let´s say you have to take your pasta machine to roll out a band of modelling paste to go around the bottom edge of a tier and emboss a pattern on it would you have no problem doing that at the venue? If I do that before hand I risk damaging the band when stacking because the cake arrives to the venue with the fondant less cold and I can make dents on it (I just hav a van with air con not a fridge van)... if I take the band already pre cut and in a roll inside a ziplock bag it will most likely stick to itself and be useless... it seems I have to either stop being shy at venues ;) or take cakes stacked if they are not too heavy.

Thanks for he tip thecakewitch, I have never used sps but think I read you can only make cakes up to 5 inches high with that support system, is that true?

i apply fondant ribbons before delivery with for example an 8" cake on another separate 10" board so that the ribbon will stay in place during delivery and i can slide the cake off the 10" board when i assemble -- the ribbon stays put -- for an imprinted ribbon i would bring the mold and some fondant to repair if necessary --

Thanks so much for the tips K8memphis, learning everyday thanks to personal effort, trial and error and tips from experienced cake decorators like you. Just about ten months since my first wedding cake ;)

Thanks for the feedback [B]K8memphis[/B], I always deliver my cakes in boxes as well.

For instance let´s say you have to take your pasta machine to roll out a band of modelling paste to go around the bottom edge of a tier and emboss a pattern on it would you have no problem doing that at the venue? If I do that before hand I risk damaging the band when stacking because the cake arrives to the venue with the fondant less cold and I can make dents on it (I just hav a van with air con not a fridge van)... if I take the band already pre cut and in a roll inside a ziplock bag it will most likely stick to itself and be useless... it seems I have to either stop being shy at venues ;) or take cakes stacked if they are not too heavy.

Thanks for he tip [B]thecakewitch[/B], I have never used sps but think I read you can only make cakes up to 5 inches high with that support system, is that true?

Cheers.

You mean double barrel? You always dowel for every 4"-5" of cake. If you mean tiers, you can definitely assemble and deliver as much tiers as you can carry.

Hi cupadeecakes, thanks very muchfor your feedback and reply. Would you please mind checking this other thread I started regarding some issues I´ve been having with the central dowel method? Any tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

K8memphis I said that just to have even thickness all across the ribbon if I was making it from scratch at the venue, and my pasta machine is a small portable one :), and just because it is much faster to roll it like that.

In some venues I almost have to beg to have a small table to finish the assembly of the cake or sometimes they keep asking me if I will still be too long...that´s why I like to take as much work done as possible for some places. For instance I have been told to finish assembling next to a kitchen stove which I obviously refused and two weeks ago I finished an assembly on a small computer desk in an office (and the venue was an hotel), with the computer there and all so I get a lot of strange venues.

oh i start and complete assembly on the cake table -- sometimes i commandeer another (banquet) table in order to set up -- i just take what i need -- but one time i had to get a ladder to reach a top tier with a fountain under it in the middle of a huge table but i don't ask permission -- i arrive authorized ;)

For years I never even heard of using a center dowel and transported cakes up to 3 tiers stacked. But. for the most part when I was doing wedding cakes most were pillared, not stacked like they are today.

I think some of the main factors to consider are the roads one needs to travel on; the weather - there by the temp and how much time you have. Do you have to run off to another delivery/appointment? Can you take time to properly/nicely set up a cake? How big are the tiers? Not so much weight (yes, that's important) but how big is the base? Are the tiers 2" apart or 4"? ie: 6, 8, 10 vs. 12, 9, 6. The latter will ride much better especially if it is on a 15 or 16" base board. The 6,8,10 is a tall narrow tower and will easily tip over at the slightest dip in the road, quick stop or hard turn :(